Moonlight and Tea Leaves
by Couver
Summary: One hundred prompts for Zuko and Katara starting with; "Adults are weird. I really don't understand why any of you got married. Uncle Sokka didn't give mommy any of that cactus juice did he?". 4/100
1. beginning

**AN:** I'm going to attempt to do the 100 prompts Zutara challenge, honestly, I have no clue how this is going to go or how long it's going to take so bear with me. Of course I don't own ATLA, otherwise the pairings would have been different.

* * *

He was trapped and he knew it. Fire Lord Zuko was not one to give up. As a young teenager he had been set out to capture the Avatar, a mission that had been deemed a wild chase, but not once had he faltered. He had chased Aang and the rest of the group through the nations by boat, ostrich-horse, and on foot and battled various masters. Technically he had joined their group in the end but he did capture the Avatar as a life-long friend and, as he proudly liked to remind his children when they started talking about how cool their Uncle Aang was, he had managed to capture the Avatar's teacher, friend, and crush. Of course this proud claim usually ended in the children scrunching their faces up in disgust as their parents kissed or adopting confused looks at the possibility of their mother and Uncle Aang being together. The one thing that was consistent, besides Zuko's need to regain or talk about his honor, was that he never gave up.

Then he met his wife who slowly became the exception, and then his children had been born and he had decided that it must be some genetic thing she had passed on. He found himself giving up quite a bit after that. He gave up the majority of the bed which Katara seemed to dominate regardless of the largeness of the bed or her own small size. He usually ended up giving his desert to his children or Katara depending on which sweet treat it was. He couldn't even remember the last time he had said no to their requests; massages, piggy back rides, and even making fire figures to act out plays. Truthfully he wasn't even sure if he had said no, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when his eldest daughter asked him to tell them a bedtime story and he found himself unable to say no.

She had refused a story from the pile of books in her room; it didn't matter if they were gathered from all of nations she had already memorized all of them. No, Crown Princess Kira had demanded that her father tell her a new story, one that she hadn't heard before. Now this wasn't unheard of, when Iroh was around she practically followed him everywhere and even waited patiently while he made tea just to hear all of his new stories, even her Uncle Sokka had funny stories and for a while she had adored the stories Aunt Suki had and how they came with a performance or had the story painted on fans. When the others went back to their homes however and Kira grew tired of the stories she had already heard it was usually Katara that managed to make up new stories for her. Really Zuko had been quite lucky to have escaped for seven years; apparently his luck had run out.

He was ready to ask her if she wanted her mother who was tucking in her younger brother Ryuu to tell her a story but in her world that would clearly take far too long and was silly since Zuko was already there and could tell her a story. He was trapped and under her watchful golden gaze he knew he had no chance of escape. Unfortunately his daughter had managed to inherit her father's determination and her mother's stubborn ways; neither one had thought it possible but she had managed to surprise them with how dead set she was in her ways even at such a young age.

"Tell me about how you and mommy met."

He wasn't sure if this was a demand or she was simply taking pity on her poor father who had been piecing together a story about a turtle duck named Lee, he hadn't gotten very far in his story. Sitting up in her bed she adjusted herself and her polar bear dog toy, quite originally named Snow, and patted the spot usually reserved for the story teller on her bed. Now that he had a starting point he felt a bit more relieved, at least he wouldn't be forced to make up names, he would just have to figure out how to keep himself from sounding like the fool he had been.

"You thought Gran Gran was the Avatar because she was old? Daddy, did you know that was rude?"

Her eyes widened and he could see the ring of blue in her eyes surrounded by the gold, his own little blue fire. He quickly had to back peddle and explain that he hadn't been thinking properly at the time and had been a very angry young person. Quietly he hoped that his youthful anger had been solely due to his circumstances and wasn't a glimpse of what he had to expect when his own children became teenagers.

"You kidnapped Uncle Aang and then he escaped? But daddy, he's so easy to catch when we're playing tag; he's always by the sweets or picking fruits."

Now she looked offended at the idea that someone could beat her dad. Yes, Uncle Sokka was funnier and Uncle Aang could bend all four elements and had Appa but still, her dad was the Fire Lord and in her opinion one of the best people ever, even if his tea still wasn't that good. Once again a flustered Zuko tried to explain just how this had happened and that was complete with arms movements that would have suited Sokka better.

By the end of the story her arms were crossed across her chest and she was pouting in concentration that was pure Katara. All Zuko could do was wait as his daughter worked through the story he had told her, complete with pauses, explanations and odd acting outs of parts in which Snow and some of her other toys had been borrowed. He took the time she was deliberating to try and figure out if he had succeeded in not making himself look like a total fool, taking the voices he had adopted while acting out scenes with her stuffed animals into consideration he wasn't sure if he had.

"So you attacked mommy's village, Uncle Sokka insulted Aunt Suki, Aunt Toph beat Uncle Jae in a bending match, and Uncle Aang knocked over Aunt Kali while chasing after Momo, but you all got married."

Kira listed off the relationships and he nodded along while feeling a bit more foolish with every nod.

"I would never marry Jeong Lee and he just pulls on my hair."

She mentioned the son of one of the noble families that sometimes visited with his parents. Zuko had been quite proud of the fact that his daughter was a better bender than the little boy and had automatically disliked him; he hadn't exactly been fond of Jeong Lee's father when they had been growing up.

"Adults are weird. I really don't understand why any of you got married. Uncle Sokka didn't give mommy any of that cactus juice did he?"

She asked the last part carefully and raised an eyebrow in a way that would have made both Katara and Sokka proud. Zuko made a mental reminder to talk to his dear brother in law about what stories he happened to be telling his children. Flustered yet again, although really it seemed as if he simply happened to be going through different levels of being flustered instead of ever loosing that flustered state, he attempted to calm his daughter's worries and confusion.

"Remember when we went to visit mommy's home with you for the first time?"

Zuko questioned in return and was determined not to talk about the cactus juice or let his mind wander to what embarrassing stories about Sokka he might let slip, there were plenty to be sure. Kira nodded but didn't seem to know where this was going, then again that had been her opinion during most of his story.

"You didn't like it at first because it was cold and different and because the sun wasn't behaving as it normally does here."

She nodded again and he tried not to remember how she had grumbled and cried when she hadn't been able to produce her usual flames and hadn't been able to sleep as well because the sun had remained in the sky for longer than normal. Her grumpiness had made Katara feel even worse because at that time they had been juggling Kira and Ryuu who had been two at the time. Zuko hadn't exactly enjoyed the beginning of the trip either but had secretly been hoping that they would be able to leave sooner, he hadn't exactly been happy with the odd sun movements either and had been tempted to join his four year old daughter in pouting.

"Then you got used to the snow and when we had to leave you were sad because you had made friends and wanted to play in the snow more."

Kira was looking at him cautiously while he tried to pull out his inner Iroh, without all of the tea references.

"Our relationship was similar. At first we didn't like each other at all, but when we started to learn more about each other we found out we had a lot in common. We became allies, and then friends, and finally we found out that we liked each other as more than friends. So you see my little firecracker, it wasn't the beginning that was important, it was that we worked past it and didn't let our first opinion of each other keep us from actually learning about each other."

She didn't look confused or traumatized in any way; so far this was looking good. Kira seemed to think a bit more about what he had said and even pet Snow as she did so. Zuko watched her carefully and really hoped that he had made sense, too many of his Uncle's lessons had gone by unheeded and misunderstood due to odd comparisons and at the time dull stories. It really would have saved him a lot of time and pride if he had paid better attention at the time.

"Ok daddy, I understand."

He had taken part in ending a war, reclaimed the throne, led the Fire Nation to peace that hadn't existed in far too long, and everyday he managed to juggle his work and family all while retaining his sanity. At that moment though none of it mattered because the only thing that really mattered was that he hadn't messed up his Uncle Iroh influenced advice and hadn't scarred his daughter with the story of how he had first met her mother.

"But daddy, what about sea prunes? How come mommy makes me try them every time but you don't have to?"

She was looking up at him innocently but he was starting to worry about whatever politicians would be around during her reign, at least he had already surrendered to the fact that his children had him wrapped around their fingers. Sighing in defeat he helped her move back into a lying position and tucked her in with Snow.

"Sea prunes are like Jeong Lee, the first impression is the right one. I'll make sure you don't have to eat any more, promise."

She lit up at his words as she cuddled her polar bear dog toy. Tucking a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear he smiled as well before placing a kiss on her forehead and receiving one in return on his cheek.

"Sleep well Princess. Do you want to extinguish the lights?"

He questioned as he made his way to the door and she nodded from her spot. Shifting slightly she blew in the direction of the last lamp that was working and easily extinguished the flame.

"Goodnight daddy."

She managed to call out before he closed the door behind him and started to head towards his own bedroom. His shoulders drooped slightly as he allowed himself to be affected by his long day. Hopefully this wasn't the beginning of his story telling career, it would be a painful and awkward one for him if it was. Then again it could get better as he had explained to his daughter; he could always tell his children and his niece and nephew when they came to visit about Sokka's reunion with Hawky. It would after all explain several things; why Sokka was cautious about growing facial hair, why he glared when he saw hawks, and just how he had received the scar above his lip. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, as long as none of his children asked him about Ba Sing Se, or cactus juice.


	2. middle

**AN:** Usual disclaimer stuff here yadda yadda. The original version had absolutely nothing to do with Sokka, it actually involved the missing filling of a few pastries but after several failed attempts at getting the result I wanted this somehow happened. Sokka managed to take over and caused me to feel as confused as I'm sure those around him would have felt everyday. I hope I managed to stay in character and haven't been too spooked by the fact that people actually like and are following this story (your love is amazeballs, that's how badass it is, it can only be described by a word that will only exist in urban dictionary).

Spry

Delicious pie and an even better comment thank you =) Kira actually first came as an idea for her own solo story so she'll probably make a few more appearances along with her siblings and the rest of the Gaang offspring. I hope I managed to keep Zuko properly in character this time around as well. =)

Charlie'Rocker

Thank you =)

* * *

Treaties were stalking her and she was _not_ being paranoid. The major treaties had been signed by all of the nations quickly enough after the war but there were countless others to work the details out of and convince people to sign. Fishing, hunting, trading, and construction just to start with and each one seemed as if it had more sub-categories and versions written out than the one before. It was tiring, caused her to have plenty of interesting ideas on ways to use her waterbending on her fellow ambassadors, and usually needed to be followed up by a sparring session and tea. When a treaty was signed or a bill was passed however and she knew that it was going to help countless amounts of people in all of the nations, it was worth it. She was good at fixing problems and she was pretty damn amazing at keeping everything under control. This of course could be claimed with the knowledge that her colleagues and those that knew her would agree, even if she had flooded one of the training areas after a particularly long and irritating meeting about firefish of all things. Katara would like to think that she had earned the right to not be tasked with fixing everyone's personal lives as well. Her brother disagreed.

It started through letters, now that the Water Tribe siblings were separated with one in the Fire Nation and the other spending time in the Southern Tribe and on Kyoshi Island they relied heavily on letters to remain connected. They wrote about their activities, thoughts and new events, they gave and received advice regardless of the fact if it had been asked for in the first place, and for the most part had managed to remain close. Then the letters started to become thicker and they seemed to have one common element to them.

Suki.

Recently if Sokka didn't mention the Kyoshi Warrior or make a far from subtle reference to her within three lines it would surprise her. As if that hadn't been enough Suki had decided to follow suit and make use of the fact that she was dating the brother of one of her close friends. Although she was more subtle about it, her questions and at times complaints about him did start to wear on the younger Waterbender. It all came to a horrible clash however when during their biggest argument Suki happened to be visiting the Fire Nation with her warriors and Sokka simply had to visit at the same time.

Neither one was willing to talk to the other or even see them if it was avoidable but that didn't keep either of them from badgering Katara on various levels about the other. Usually they would start off slowly when they spotted the tired Waterbender, they would ask about her day or talk about their own and by the time she was properly trapped they attacked. Complaints about lacking manners, fan obsessions, and flirting with others were tossed about. Exaggerated stories about how the other managed to do something irritating while they made sure to mention that the other was exaggerating about their own tiny mistakes soon followed. They always slipped up however and although Katara felt like ripping her hair out, or more likely freezing them to a wall, she could easily spot that they were lonely and scared that their relationship was over. Of course it didn't help that the bickering duo was similar in the sense that neither wanted to take her advice or even listen to it, she had expected more out of Suki.

Sokka had managed to catch her after an absolutely infuriating meeting and it took whatever self-control she had left to keep from freezing him to the ceiling and letting him stay there till he melted, it was close. She didn't have any self-control left however by the time she managed to reach the now fixed arena. Fellow practicing benders and fighters that knew about Katara's temper cleared out as soon as they saw her storm up onto the pitch. Although she couldn't shake the ground she was already subconsciously pulling up all of the moisture underground up and the hard clay was already starting to soften. The nearby fountain almost seemed to quiver as her power called the water running through it forth. Her more formal outer layer was quickly tossed to the side and she was left in her lighter and far more comfortable everyday clothes, much better for bending everything around her into oblivion till she felt better.

He was notified as he had been last time and the worried look the servant gave him pushed his own problems to the side, it wasn't as easy as he had hoped to keep a single Waterbender happy and not attempting to flood the entire palace. The quite obvious lack of people in the areas nearby the training area alerted him as to just how bad her session was going, not that that fully prepared him for what he saw.

This time she had taken the icy approach and had managed to sculpt an unwelcoming world around her. Spires and spikes covered the majority of the arena and she was still working. Ice would crash down as she deemed it unfit and more would rise up with a sweep of her hand. On the bright side at least she seemed to be using some of the firebending techniques he had shown her earlier. Having learned from his last experience with ice he made sure to melt everything he touched as he made his way toward her. The soft hiss of ice melting and the gentle splash of the water that replaced it brought her attention away from building her icy domain and onto the Fire Lord. She sprang and he was ready.

Her anger always made her physically stronger but also made her more susceptible to causing her own defeat with simple mistakes or falling for equally simple tricks. Sometimes Zuko would wonder if this was what fighting with him had been like during the angrier parts of his teenage years. Honestly he was quite sure that even with his teenage anger he hadn't been as strong and had probably made far more mistakes.

Blows were traded and as they danced around each other with a steady stream of attacks their surroundings changed as well. She would call on the ice already there or he would bump into it or miss her and melt it down. While their surroundings changed his calm remained and her anger slowly started to dissipate. His calm gave way to surprise however when they finally stopped trading blows and she crashed into his waiting arms crying.

He had managed to move past his anger which had sadly defined a good part of his teenage years. It still sometimes sprung up but it barely did so and he could usually pull it back when it did. Katara in turn had left behind her 'tearbending' with her adolescent years. She had claimed that she had simply matured and would rather spend her time fixing a problem rather than crying over it. Truthfully Zuko thought it had more to do with the teasing she had received from Toph, Sokka and even a sometimes clueless Aang. This didn't mean that she didn't still tear up over a sad story or when she was extremely angry but it had calmed down just like his anger had. That was why he was surprised to see her crying, something she now usually reserved for sad stories she couldn't seem to stop reading. Last time she had ruined the training area she had shyly apologized before telling him that she really didn't like firefish anymore and that there happened to have been someone training that had reminded her of one; the rest of the evening had been spent trying to find the animal counterpart to their family, friends, and acquaintances. Her tears triggered his own adolescent safety net and he felt his anger bubbling up at whoever had caused her to cry.

"So stupid."

She blubbered into his chest before pulling away and wiping her tears away angrily.

"Stupid Sokka is still fighting with Suki and won't stop talking and freaking Ambassador Talak thinks that if I don't wear blue I'm some sort of traitor and that if I wear a darker shade of blue we're the best freaking friends and Ambassador Ping is so bloody self-righteous and won't shut up about her parents apple tree farm, and my freaking La Ambassador Woo is just so old he was probably alive before the war started and you have to yell in his ear for him to hear anything!"

Zuko was slightly impressed with the fact that she had managed to get all of that out and hadn't felt the need to breathe. She was still angrily wiping away at the last few tears that had managed to escape but her breathing seemed to be calming back down to normal.

"Stupid Sokka, at least Suki asks me how I'm doing before she starts ranting about him, he just nods along before interrupting me and just tosses all of his problems at me. And it's just so stupid and ugh, now he's making me feel stupid because here I am complaining about my stupid brother and pretending that I'm not still crying which I shouldn't even be doing while I'm distracting you from your work because my temper tantrum is apparently more important than running a nation which it obviously isn't."

She sighed deeply and scrunched her eyes shut before rubbing them furiously with her hands as if that would make it all go away. A softer sigh was echoed as he brought her into another hug and waited till her breathing had fully returned to normal. It appeared as if he would have to have a talk with his newest guest.

The servants knew when he walked past them that it was best not to get in his way, truly it was best to completely get out of his way and warn those nearby just to be safe. His path was direct, his movements were quick, and his target had no idea as to what was about to happen.

Knocking would have taken too long, and taken away some of the effect Zuko was hoping for, besides it was his palace and his Waterbender that he had managed to frustrate to the point of ruining a training area. The yelp of surprise from the room's occupant confirmed that Zuko had at least received the initial reaction he had been hoping for.

"Zuko buddy, what are you doing here?"

Sokka stood up from a chair where he had been lounging and tinkering with his latest creation, he was still somehow unsure of why Zuko had barged into his room. Clearly this would have to be fixed.

"Do you like Suki?"

His question earned a surprised look from Sokka who gently tossed his invention in progress onto the bed and walked up to the Fire Lord that was starting to annoy him.

"What-"

"Do you like Katara, and do you enjoy being able to stay in the palace with everything at your disposal? Because if you value the sanity of any of the people here, particularly your sister, you'll stop acting like a demanding little lizard chick and fix your own problems instead of dragging your sister and the entire Fire Nation into the middle of your silly argument with Suki. She is not going to write up a peace treaty between the two of you no matter how many times you ask."

He no longer burned down his surroundings or yelled at everything and everyone when he was angry, for the most part. The mature Zuko now simply lowered his voice and would calmly speak till at one point he would snap and end up yelling, he was still working on that last part.

"My argument with Suki is not silly!"

Of course out of everything he had said the one thing Sokka had fixated on was the fact that Zuko had called something about him silly, that still seemed to be a sensitive word with him. The older, and normally sillier, half of the Water Tribe sibling pair didn't even second guess himself before he closed the distance between them, marched up to the Fire Lord and looked ready to give him his opinion, it helped that they were close to the same height.

"You love her and she loves you for whatever reason none of us will ever figure out, that makes any argument that you have silly. So be that man you claim you are and fix your problem with Suki before you drive everyone around you insane."

Sokka gaped and actually appeared to momentarily be at a loss for words, probably because Zuko had used them all. The loss for words didn't last for long however as Sokka adopted a curious expression.

"Do you know that you just sounded like Toph, and a bit like my sister too? Bro you need some guy time."

Really and truly Sokka had an amazing ability of picking up on the most useless of details and simply tossing everything else. Sighing in annoyance Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered how Katara had been able to put up with this particular behaviour for so long.

"Sokka, please just fix your problem or at least stop bringing Katara into the middle of it before she floods the entire nation or has a mental breakdown."

Another sigh escaped him, two sighs within moments of each other were generally reserved for long meetings with the council or when Katara was being particularly stubborn over a small issue, something Sokka had surpassed as only he could. Pity seemed to be taken as Sokka reached out to pat the tired Fire Lord on the shoulder.

"Bro, you've got to chill out, can't let the ladies get you down."

His utterly heartfelt and sympathetic expression was what finished it off for Zuko. Turning on his heel he left Sokka to mutter about strange Fire Lords bursting in and distracting him from his work. Four days later Sokka and Suki were back together, five days after that the training arena was finally back to its original state; it took a bit longer for both ambassador and Fire Lord to recuperate however.


	3. end

**AN:** Sorry for the long wait, thanks for sticking by me. It took me several attempts, which seems to be a reoccurring theme so far but writing at four am seems to work for me. Enjoy =)

* * *

The tribe was bustling; women and men were hurrying along in their jobs, children were avoiding their own tasks and playing with friends, and the older tribe members were observing the going ons and shaking their heads at the particularly boisterous children, momentarily forgetting their own similar actions at that age. Even with all of the activity however there was an area around the healing building in which everyone present had stopped their activities and simply watched as their tribe continued to grow. Well there was one person working, and she was the reason for the crowd that had gathered around her.

With a sweep of one hand snow was expertly etched out, with the other more water crept up to help build the design the master Waterbender had in mind. In the back of her mind Katara was aware of the crowd she had managed to gather yet again but she was too focused on the design to really notice anything other than the crescent moon symbol she was currently working on. She worked tirelessly as the crowd shifted, grew, and shrank but never really left her, it was a slightly larger group than normal and there was a reason for that, a reason she was trying very hard to not think about.

Katara allowed herself to be taken over by the calming whites and blues that had shaped the early part of her life. She focused on the cold snow that could be both hard and soft. She thought of the benders that would use the building she was helping finish right now and all of the people they would help. Hunters would have wounds healed, expectant mothers would have skilled aide while delivering their child, and no one would have to remain in pain or discomfort thanks to the healers that would be running the building. Healers that at one point will only know of her name and not her face, healers that she might never meet helping people that she might never celebrate holidays with and watch grow.

Too much snow was carved out and she frowned as she fixed her mistake. This building had to be absolutely perfect and if that meant taking on the finishing touches as she had with the majority of the buildings then so be it. The fact that taking so much time for all of the details was keeping her safely in the South Pole and away from warmer climates was one that was quickly glanced over. After all it should have been insignificant. It was simply a coincidence after all that after Iroh had returned to the Fire Nation she had started to take even more interest in helping build her tribe.

No, she wasn't going to think about _that_.

It was with regret that she finally surveyed her work and could find nothing left to add, nothing left to fix. She was done.

The crowd around her seemed to understand that when she put her arms down it was for the final time and that her job was over. They quickly surrounded her to praise her and admire their newest building. Soft pats on the shoulder with mitten covered hands, the tickle of fur from their coats as the excited ones hugged her, and compliments were all taken with humble smiles and nods before she broke away and headed to her house.

She tried to place her focus elsewhere as she made the trek to her house but everything managed to bring her back to the topic she was desperately trying to avoid. The crunch of the snow under her boots, the faint cheers of those just now discovering her completed work, and even the crying of the newest member of the tribe four month old Mitka managed to remind her of where she would be in a month.

The Fire Nation with its; humidity, politics, and unhappy citizens that would blame her for ruining their decades of prosperity, would soon be her place of residence. It may be the place she would soon be residing in but that did not mean that it would be her home.

Katara entered a house that was too silent for any of her family members to have been present in; even Gran Gran and Pakku could always be heard with Gran Gran giggling like a school girl over something Master Pakku had told her. The lingering scent of the Fire Nation tea Uncle had brought over and her father had taken a liking to was still in the air and drove her to find solace in her room.

Warm pelts covered the ground and her bed, tapestries from the Earth Kingdom had been hung up on the walls, and everywhere she looked seemed to be a reminder of her travels and her friends. For once however the jewelry box from the Fire Nation that she kept all of her most precious items in earned a grimace.

It had been Uncle that had casually mentioned that Ambassador Kota seemed to be siding with the Northern Water Tribe Ambassador on a regular basis and hardly bringing up issues that were more specific to the Southern Water Tribe. They had all been grateful for his watchful eye and her father had immediately started the process of finding a replacement for Kota when Uncle had just as casually brought attention to the Waterbender. Of course she was given the final say; she would after all be moving to live in the Fire Nation for as long as she would be the Ambassador, and after some thought she had agreed. That had been then when she still had time before it would happen; now however her leaving would probably occur before the month was over.

Sitting down in front of her vanity she pulled the jewelry box towards her and carefully traced out the design as she usually did before opening it. It surprisingly didn't contain that much red on it but the gold more than made up for it and declared its origin as proudly as the golden dragon on the top. What had caught her attention when she had first been presented with the gift however had been the pearl that the dragon seemed to be gently protecting from everything else. With the shade and the sheen it looked like the full moon. Zuko had blabbered on about how he had found it among his mother's old things and how she had probably gotten it because it must have reminded her of the play Love Amongst The Dragons and how he would take her to the play as part of her birthday gift if she wanted to but only if it wasn't at Ember Island because they simply butchered it every time. She had shut him up with a thank you and a hug.

Running her finger around the moon-like pearl one more time she gently lifted open the top and just as gently let it hang on its hinges. The items were few but meant much more to her than the contents of the quite full traditional Water Tribe jewelry bow. Picking up the small metal ball Toph had made for her out of Sokka's space rock she rolled it around the palm of her hand before replacing it in its proper spot. Light fingers rested upon the vial that once more contained water from the Spirit Oasis before running along the edges of the small fan Suki had given her. Traces of the jasmine leaves and ginseng that reminded her of the Jasmine Dragon and Uncle littered the bottom of the box while the Firelily had managed to retain its shape. The White Lotus Blossom Pai Sho tile had managed to get tucked under the petal of the Panda lily that Aang always made sure to bring her when he visited and the bracelets Gran Gran had given her had moved from their usual neat tower. What caught her attention however was the newest addition to her little chest of treasures.

Picking it up she held it to the light and admired the way it shone. Small fire opals, delicately crafted snowflakes, golden leaves, and pearls of varying shades hung off of the charm bracelet. Uncle Iroh had given it to her after she had accepted her role as Ambassador. He made sure to tell her it was from Zuko and had nothing to do with her acceptance of the role. Closing the jewelry box she took her charm bracelet with her and fell back on her bed.

Watching the bracelet slowly spin and lightly shine somehow ended up being therapeutic. She was going to the Fire Nation; that was a fact. But she was also going to be able to help her tribe more by being there and she would be closer to the majority of her friends. It might have been easier for her to leave her tribe the first time with Aang since she hadn't had time to really think about anything except that she was needed elsewhere, but at least this time she would be able to leave with a clean conscience. This time she had an idea of what to expect and although she was leaving loved ones behind she would be closer to others she loved. This part of her life might be coming to an end but that didn't mean everything else was as well. Allowing the bracelet to drop down the glimmering fire opal skimmed her smiling lips as she thought of the note that had accompanied the belated birthday present.

_To remind you of home, wherever it is and wherever you are._

The Fire Nation, with sweet fruits, monsoons, warm nights, Uncle Iroh, and Zuko. It wasn't so scary anymore.


	4. inside

**AN:** I managed to actually write this once instead of the usual three times before I was pleased enough with the result. Thank you for the continued love to everyone reading and to Kmsitterely who left a very flattering review that I will admit spurred me to write a bit faster. Hope everyone continues to enjoy it and the character that I brought back along with the one making their first appearance.

* * *

Curious eyes searched and careful hands reached out cautiously for the miniature fan. Gently moving the objects around the fan proved to be hard since she was trying quite hard not to make a sound and that happened to be the objective of the bracelets she was currently moving. Her tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth slightly as she focused on moving each bracelet separately and gently placing them to the side.

"Kira, what are you doing?"

She froze as quickly as if her mother had literally frozen her to her spot. Not a finger twitched as she remained in her position and she had to remind herself to stop holding her breath and actually breathe. This technique might work for Uncle Sokka when he was half asleep but it unfortunately didn't work as well with her mother.

"Kira."

Oh, she knew that tone. Her mother might love giving speeches, most of which Kira had to painfully sit through, but she was also quite adept at saying a lot with a few words. Right now what she was _actually_ saying was 'Kira you better turn around right now and explain yourself or there _will_ be consequences and you will _not_ like them'. It could be funny when she used that tone on her father or uncle, and it could be pleasing at times when it was used on one of her younger siblings, but it was _not_ something one wished to experience firsthand. Slowly removing her hands from the box she just as slowly spun around in her seat and turned to face her mother with a smile.

"Hi mommy."

Katara watched her eldest child curiously. She might just be seven but she was already an accomplished Firebender, read above her age group, and held herself with the grace and poise befitting her title of Crown Princess, when she had to. She was also the ringleader amongst Katara's four children, could sweet talk herself out of trouble when she did get caught, and was one of Toph's favorite nieces' for a reason. The sweet smile Kira was giving her wasn't about to fool her.

The Firebender finally caved under her mother's eye and let her shoulders droop slightly in defeat.

"Aunt Suki told me that all fans have different symbols on them and that they can tell a story, I just wanted to see if I could read the one she gave you."

The explanation was slightly rushed but it appeared to be acceptable to Katara since she nodded slightly. Kira had been complaining recently about the lack of new stories and even her mother finally agreeing to allow her to start training with swords, wooden ones till she was at least a teenager, hadn't distracted her from the fact. Truthfully Zuko and Katara had been too busy overseeing her training, breaking up fights between Kira and her brother who was now also demanding his own training, along with running a nation and taking care of twin three year olds to worry about expanding their daughter's library.

"As long as you're careful and make sure to ask next time then it's fine."

Katara's approval earned her a bright smile that wasn't simply a ploy to lessen an upcoming punishment. Spinning back around in her seat Kira happily turned her attention back to the fan that had been her target. Reaching back into the jewellery box her hand clamped firmly over the fan till a yell snatched her attention away and made her turn towards the source of it out of reflex.

A clatter soon followed as the box was knocked off of the vanity and onto the marble floor. Kira's attention quickly went from three year old Lyra who was trying to escape from the tired nanny, to the box and its contents on the ground, to her mother. At least the fan was still safely in her hand.

"I'm so sorry mommy."

Kira quickly apologized before gently placing the fan safely on the vanity; she had lost her urge to read it for the moment. Katara seemed to practically glide as she approached the fallen box and tried to keep her face neutral for Kira's benefit.

"It's ok sweetheart, it was an accident and you were just surprised. Why don't you go and play with Ryuu?"

She might have been forgiven but Kira still felt quite horrible for what she had accidentally done and was quick to take her mother's suggestion. She didn't even bother to make a face at the thought of her annoying little brother and simply raced out of the room and down the hall.

Now that she was alone Katara allowed herself to sigh deeply before she knelt down and started to look for whatever damage might have been acquired. The box was carefully turned right side up and when she didn't spot any scratches or even a knick on it she mentally thanked the Fire Nation craftsman that had created the box so long ago. Lifting the lid again to start replacing all of the items her eyes narrowed in on an edge at the bottom that seemed to be sticking out. Bringing the box closer to her she ran her fingers lightly over the base and instead of pushing it back into place she cautiously tugged on the corner. The base easily came out but what surprised her even more was that there was something underneath what turned out to be the false bottom of the jewellery box.

It was old, that much was obvious due to the way it had yellowed and the mere fact that she had had the box since her sixteenth birthday. She was cautious as she pulled the folded paper out of its hiding place, the jewellery box had after all belonged to Ursa previously and this note could belong to her as well. Biting her lip in thought she finally gave in and delicately unfolded the aged paper, it wasn't _that_ old after all and if it appeared as if it had been addressed to or written by Ursa she would simply stop reading and pass it along to Zuko. When she recognized the writing right away however she knew that this had been meant for her to see.

_Happy Birthday Katara,_

_I'm sorry for either babbling, stammering, or finding another creative way to make myself look like a fool in front of you yet again. I honestly can't say that that will ever stop happening so please bear with it. I know I'm taking the coward's way out but right now this is the only way I'll be able to say, or write, what I need to say. I'm quite sure that I love you. I can't say for sure since I've never been in love but Uncle's words about the subject do seem to make more sense now. I'm not as bothered by your odd palate, including your love of sea prunes even though I will never be able to eat them without feeling sick, I have a higher tolerance towards your stubborn ways and no longer seem to lose my temper as much when you don't listen to reason, and I no longer stop listening when you talk about a romance scroll or some romantic action you saw. I think I'm in love with you, I know I'm acting like a fool and a coward, and I hope that if you do read this one day you don't consider me an even larger fool or feel uncomfortable because of this._

_The Foolish Fire Lord,_

_Zuko_

Still kneeling on the ground with the contents of the jewellery box around her she shook her head. Trust Zuko to be sweet, confusing, and slightly insulting at the same time. Another yell caught her attention but this time it was followed by a giggle and Zuko showed up in the doorway with Lyra being held upside down like a lemur monkey and giggling.

"Zalia needed a break from chasing after this lemur monkey. Is everything ok?"

He motioned towards the loudest of their four children and even swung her slightly which earned even more giggles before he nodded at the mess surrounding Katara.

"Daddy! I'm not a lemur monkey, I'm a tiger bear! RAWR!"

Lyra of course could not accept being quiet for too long, which in her world seemed to be about five seconds, and she simply had to make sure she was heard by everyone in the wing. She had been screaming since the day she had been born and she wasn't about to stop now.

"You're a tiger bear are you?"

Zuko asked as he continued to hold her upside down with one arm and tickled her with his free hand. She squirmed and giggled but never once asked her father to put her right side up again even though her blood was starting to rush to her face and flush her caramel skin.

"A waterbending tiger bear huh?"

He asked again and only earned an even louder yell before he finally placed her gently down on her own two feet. The flush remained on her face as she craned her head back to look at her father.

"Yup! I'm a waterbending tiger bear and you can't catch me!"

Lyra ran off after issuing her challenge but Zuko turned his attention back to Katara who had simply watched the entire interaction without saying a word. Stepping into their room he recognized the contents splayed around her and frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

His question brought her back to the note she had just read and the author behind those words. Instead of explaining about the small accident that had happened she simply held out the paper and watched his reaction. Confusion, surprise, and disbelief all crossed through his face before he settled on looking like a puffer fish out of water.

"Where did you find that?"

He asked warily after finally coming back to his senses.

"It was in the fake bottom of the jewellery box you gave me for my sixteenth birthday. Any clue as to how it got there?"

She teased him but instead of earning a blush and a confession his mouth dropped open again before he composed himself and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Toph."

She had not been expecting him to say that.

"Toph?"

Her blind earthbending friend had apparently snuck a love letter, albeit an awkward one, from Zuko into her birthday present. It was sneaky, which was very much a Toph quality, but was missing the blunt aspect that was practically her signature.

"I did write the note, and several like it, and I was going to put it in the box but I chickened out the night before. I guess she grabbed one of the letters and carried out my original plan. I hope she at least picked one of the better ones."

He was rubbing the back of his neck now, clearly embarrassed and slightly unsure as to what he was supposed to be most embarrassed about. Experience had however taught him to keep a safe distance between himself and Katara is case she deemed something he had done wrong. He had after all admitted to confessing only because Toph had had a hand in it, and depending on which one of the letters the Earthbender had stuck in the box he might be apologizing for a while.

She beckoned him closer and taking his chances he moved closer and crouched down beside her. The Fire Lord and War Hero was worried about what his wife would do over an old, and characteristically awkward, love letter meant for her. Perhaps this didn't happen to others and it might even be considered odd to different couples, this wasn't that unique to them however. He was however pleasantly surprised when instead of being told off for whatever ridiculous thing he had written, and he was sure it had been quite ridiculous, she pulled him forward and rewarded him with a kiss. He might thank Toph later on for sneaking the letter in.

"So sea prunes make you sick, I'm too stubborn to listen to reason, and apparently when I'm talking about something you don't like you just tune me out."

She raised an eyebrow as he wisely started to put some distance between himself and his wife, at least it hadn't been his worst letter. Backing away slowly he stood up and straightened his robes while avoiding direct eye contact with his blue eyed bender.

"I have to go catch Lyra before she starts yelling about something else, um, yeah. I love you."

The last part seemed to be added just for safety reasons later on; he had learned early on to cover his bases as much as possible. He left before he could see her shake her head or hear her laugh lightly at his actions. Apparently she had been holding more important items in her jewellery box and for longer than even she had thought. Lyra's yell showed that Zuko had caught her and another game of chase had most likely started up again. Carefully folding the letter back up she placed it on the false bottom before placing the rest of her treasured items back in their proper places. It was flawed, awkward, and made Katara wish slightly that he had been drinking when he had written it if he thought at all that it had been romantic, but it was so perfectly him and so perfectly them that she wouldn't change a single word.


End file.
